Perpoyn is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Perpoyn family lived in Sussex. Their name, however, is a reference to Pierrepont, near St. Sauveur in the Cotentin, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)

Early Origins of the Perpoyn family

The surname Perpoyn was first found in Sussex where they were granted lands by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. They were from Pierrepont near St. Sauveur in the Cotentin in Normandy. Reginald, Geoffrey and Robert Pierpont accompanied William into England and were granted lands in Suffolk and 9,000 acres in Sussex under the Earl Warren. The family it seemed had extensive property and holdings from an early date as seen by this account: "Robert de Pierrepoint was a person of such extensive property that being made a prisoner fighting on the side of King Henry III at the Battle of Lewes [1264], he was forced to give security for the payment of then great sum of seven hundred marks for his ransom." [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print. In England, the mark never appeared as a coin but was a unit of account and was worth about 160 pence shortly after the Conquest. Based on a value of two-thirds of a pound, and converting to the price of silver, the ransom was about 267 dollars x 700 = Perpoyn186,900 USD in today's value.

Perpoyn Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Pierrponte, Pierrepont, Pierrpont, Pierrponte, Pierreponte, Pierpont, Pierponte, Pierrpoint, Pierrpointe, Pierpoint, Pierpointe, Pearpont, Pearpoint, Pearpointe, Perpoint, Perpointe and many more.

Early Notables of the Perpoyn family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Henry Pierrepont (died 1452), MP for Nottinghamshire; Henry Pierrepont (1546-1615), English MP for Nottinghamshire; William Pierrepont, 4th Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull (c. 1662-1690), British peer and Member of Parliament; Evelyn Pierrepont, 5th Earl and 1st Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull (c. 1655-1726), Member of Parliament for... Another 107 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Perpoyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Perpoyn family to the New World and Oceana

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Perpoyn name or one of its variants: Robert Pierpont, who came to Ipswich, MA in 1648; Henry Pierpoint, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 with his wife Elizabeth and their five children; John Pierpoint, who came to Maryland or Virginia in 1718.

The Perpoyn Motto

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.